The Costs of Earning Your Degree Online
More and more students are choosing to earn their degree online and there are an increasing number of institutions with online degree options. However, there are often hidden costs associated with online degrees that are not always obvious to the students.
What the Real Cost is For an Online Degree
The cost of online education has been advertised by many as cheaper because the materials are less expensive to produce. These savings are supposed to be passed on to the student. WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET) conducted a study to help determine if that was still true and their findings are quite eye-opening. They found that most institutions are actually charging students the same or more for an online education when compared to on-campus options. The authors of the study, Russell Poulin and Terri Taylor Straut, said that the higher cost of producing online courses can be attributed to licensing software, training faculty members, engaging instructional designers, offering support around the clock, and more.
Where Students See the Cost Difference
For most students, it can be difficult to see the increased cost because they do not know what to look for. The added costs are typically seen as technology fees on the student’s bills. It may not always be seen as an increased tuition cost but instead as added fees. Bundled into these fees, as seen by the student, are access to course materials, tutoring services, and more. There are some fees they do not pay for that students on campus do, but the costs, when compared, are higher for students earning a degree online. Many students end up paying up to $100 or between $101 and $250 more for their courses.
The TUW Difference
Touro University Worldwide (TUW) is a nonprofit university with tuition costs that are considerably less than most on-campus schools and other online schools. TUW has focused on maintaining affordable tuition costs while ensuring a quality education for students. The cost of tuition can vary greatly depending on if the school is public, private, or state run. This is true for both on-campus schools and online schools. Because TUW is a nonprofit university, we can keep the cost of earning a degree affordable for busy working adults. In addition to the low costs, we also provide a variety of scholarship programs which reward course completion. There are also benefits for military students including a discounted tuition rate, accelerated terms so degree programs can be completed quickly and at their preferred pace, and special scholarship programs.
There are other cost-saving benefits associated with attending Touro University Worldwide. First, you will save money on gas, since you do not have to drive to and from school. Another great perk of choosing TUW is that there are no pre-admission test requirements. That means you do not have to spend time studying for or even pay for SAT or GRE tests. The majority of other institutions still list the completion of these tests as a requirement to apply. Two other great ways you get to save money is by not having to pay parking fees or paying for housing on campus. The cost of books is included in the cost of tuition, which can save students thousands of dollars during their degree program.
All you need to enroll and get started as a student and complete courses is a computer and an internet connection. If you are looking for a less expensive option but still want a quality education, we welcome you to check out Touro University Worldwide.
